Bill to Restore Vetoed School Funding Sent to Governor

The Senate approved legislation Wednesday to immediately enact into law the
school funding formula developed over the past year by the bipartisan, bicameral
Basic Education Funding Commission and provide the overdue state reimbursements
for school construction projects.

House Bill 1589, which was approved by a strong bipartisan
vote of 37-11, directs all new state money for the current 2015-16 school year
to be allocated to districts using the new formula and authorizes the release of
state reimbursements under the state’s Planning and Construction Workbook,
otherwise known as PlanCon.

The state budget approved by lawmakers in March included an additional $200
million in basic education funding and more than $350 million in PlanCon
reimbursements. The language to implement the new basic education funding
formula and authorize the PlanCon reimbursements was contained in
House Bill 1327, the Fiscal Code.

However, on April 4 the Governor vetoed the Fiscal Code and created his own
formula to drive out public education funding. As a result, 86 percent of
Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts will receive less money under this
plan than they would have received under the Basic Education Funding Formula.
The veto also halted the PlanCon reimbursements.

Under the Governor’s basic education funding formula, three of the state's
500 school districts will receive nearly half of the overall increase.
Philadelphia schools will receive an additional $78 million, including $34
million that was taken from rural school districts throughout the state.

He deliberately chose not to follow the fair education funding formula. As a
result, every single school district in the 24th senatorial district is not
receiving the funds that had been allocated by the legislature. This is yet
another shameful gimmick by the administration which causes financial concern
for schools, students, and parents.

Under the Governor’s funding formula, the school districts in 24th
Senatorial district would receive a total of $1.7 million less:

School District

14-15 Funding

Basic Education Funding (BEF) $Increase

% Increase BEF

Wolf Administration Funding

Wolf Funding vs. BEF Funding

Boyertown Area SD

$14,666,795

$485,985

3.3%

$216,904

-55%

Brandywine Heights Area SD

$4,096,496

$113,671

2.8%

$42,437

-62%

Oley Valley SD

$3,876,121

$102,462

2.6%

$77,444

-24%

Palisades SD

$2,890,539

$91,901

3.2%

$41,365

-54%

Quakertown Community SD

$9,488,575

$443,097

4.7%

$171,459

-61%

North Penn SD

$9,401,847

$544,555

5.8%

$141,091

-74%

Perkiomen Valley SD

$6,196,915

$333,932

5.4%

$97,293

-71%

Pottsgrove SD

$8,007,962

$264,064

3.3%

$141,949

-46%

Pottstown SD

$9,717,333

$581,540

6.0%

$421,718

-27%

Souderton Area SD

$9,060,834

$406,943

4.5%

$302,296

-26%

Upper Perkiomen SD

$8,619,150

$232,514

2.7%

$152,808

-34%

The General Assembly’s action restores the Basic Education Funding increase.
As with the Senate, the House of Representatives approved the new Fiscal Code
with enough votes to override any veto and sent it to the Governor.

Pennsylvania Poised to Enact Medical Cannabis Legislation

The General Assembly this week gave final approval of legislation to permit
the use of medical cannabis in Pennsylvania for limited medical conditions. The
bill was sent to the Governor for enactment.

Senate Bill 3 establishes a state program under the Department of Health
that creates a network of growers, processors and dispensaries and allows
doctors to certify a patient to receive medical cannabis for certain medical
conditions, including cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s
disease and multiple sclerosis.

The bill was amended in the Senate to give dispensaries clearer authorization
to operate and add stronger oversight for employees of medical cannabis
organizations.

For many of our fellow citizens, especially children suffering seizures,
cannabis provides relief from their conditions.

Senate Approves Special License Plate for Active Duty
Military

Senate Bill 1155 establishes a special vehicle license
plate for members of the United States Armed Forces adding special recognition
for active members of the military, reserves, and Pennsylvania National Guard.
This would be an addition to the currently available license plates with special
recognition for World War II veterans, Purple Heart recipients and Operation
Iraqi Freedom veterans.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Bills Sent to the House of Representatives

House Bill 400 establishes the “Work Experience for High School
Students with Disabilities Act.” The bill returns to the House for concurrence
on Senate amendments.

Senate Bill 1114 amends the Sewage Facilities Act to allow the use
of “alternative systems” for planning purposes throughout the Commonwealth. I am
co-sponsoring this measure.

House Bill 1319 establishes the Pennsylvania ABLE Savings Program
Tax Exemption Act. The act is companion legislation to legislation that would
establish the ABLE Act Savings Program in the Treasury Department to encourage
eligible individuals with disabilities to save private funds from which the
expenses related to their disabilities may be paid. The bill returns to the
House for concurrence on Senate amendments.

Senate Bill 1152 requires children under the age of one be secured
in a rear-facing child seat while traveling in a vehicle. I am co-sponsoring
this measure.

Bills Sent to Governor

House Bill 12 amends state law regarding divorce to address
situations in which one spouse has committed a personal injury crime against the
other.

Senate Bill 879 provides that the Treasury Department may
establish a program through which federal Achieving a Better Life Experience
(ABLE) savings accounts may be opened for eligible individuals for payment of
qualified disability expenses.

House Bill 1329 establishes the Caregiver, Advise, Record, and
Enable (CARE) Act, which requires hospitals to allow patients to designate a
caregiver prior to discharge from the facility.

House Bill 794 increases the maximum hotel room rental tax in most
third through eighth class counties from 3 percent to 5 percent and provides for
certification of recognized tourist promotion agencies.

House Bill 1278 amends state law to allow television broadcasts or
video images in a moving vehicle as long as the images are not visible to the
driver.

Senate Approves Resolution to Review Corrections
Department Overtime

The Senate approved a measure Monday authorizing an official study of
mandatory overtime in the Department of Corrections.
Senate Resolution 263 directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee,
which I chair, to review costs associated with mandatory overtime for
corrections officers versus the costs to hire, train and equip additional
corrections officers.

Corrections Secretary John Wetzel testified at a Senate Appropriations
Committee budget hearing that overtime costs for his department amount to
approximately $90 million annually. The Department of Corrections receives the
third largest state appropriation from the General Fund and its overtime costs
have outpaced all other state agencies from 2010 through 2014.

On Monday, the Senate also adopted
House Resolution 783, which moves a ballot question on
raising the mandatory retirement age for judge from 70 to 75 years old from the
April primary election to the November general election to provide time to
clarify and simplify the language that would appear on the ballot.

Senate Republicans, Democrats Hold Policy Hearing on
Job Creation

The
Senate Majority Policy Committee and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee
held a joint hearing Monday on ideas for boosting economic development and job
creation in Pennsylvania.

Representatives of economic development groups and business advocates as well
as the head of the state Department of Environmental Protection and officials
with the Department of Community and Economic Development offered testimony.

Up Next

The Senate reconvenes Monday, May 9 at 1 p.m. You can watch session live
at PASenateGOP.com.

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